The Seer Child
by Anaroriel
Summary: The tale of Irnai, the seer child. Post PotS. Gods' interference, a truth mixed with lies, a sacrifice, a beautiful young child with an unusual and frightening power.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This plot bunny has been in my mind a while... it's a different style from my usual stuff, but I hope you enjoy. :)**

The valley was familiar, with the flowers of red, yellow and white blooming to their full perfection and dark green blades of grass whispering words softly in the light breeze. The girl laughed and flopped onto a patch of clovers with a happy giggle and rolled onto her back. The sky was the bluest of blues, filled with puffy clouds without a trace of gray.

Irnai, the young girl of almost nine, fell silent and listened to the grass's chatter as the wind brushed it softly. Not anything new, she decided, and her attention was pulled towards a new sound, the ominous soft footfalls of a creature with three legs. The wind blew colder and Irnai gasped a little as she lay low to the ground.

"Irnai," a woman's voice called. Irnai's breath quickened at the sound of the young woman's voice. _No, please, not again, _the girl thought to herself. "Irnai, my child, don't hide from me." The woman's voice was high and pure, the most beautiful sound Irnai had ever heard, but now that voice gave her the chills. Quietly she crawled away from where she heard the woman. She must not make a sound.

She lifted her head and stared around the meadow. There, the woman was not twenty feet from her, walking at her slow pace. Shakith, as that was the woman's name, never walked quickly unless she knew exactly where she was going. Irnai almost sighed with relief when she realized she had not been discovered yet.

"My child, are you playing a game with me? My brother summoned you, so I know you are here." The woman's laugh was painfully sweet, and Irnai froze. She was poised and graceful like a dancer, walking slowly through the daisies and honeysuckles, her carved staff knocking the ground softly back and forth along the ground in front of her. She was close now, and Irnai panicked and jumped to her feet to run. She didn't want to be caught, but she made too much noise now to go undetected by Shakith. It did not take long, and Irnai was in the arms of her goddess once more.

"Let me go, please," Irnai cried, her childish voice rose to the next octave in her fright.

"Now, Irnai, why would you ever want to escape me?" Shakith's white eyes searched out the child's face as if she could really see it.

"I don't want to know any more please, I'm happy where I am!"

Shakith shook her head and smiled at Irnai as if she thought she was a foolish child. "But greater things await you, can you not see that?" Irnai tried to look away from the beauty of the goddess's face but was drawn back to gaze at her perfect olive skin, her slanted eyes, and the mane of shimmering black hair and her soft rose petal lips. She would be perfect if not for the white blankness in her eyes.

"I'm so tired, please, mum, don't tell me anymore." Desperate tears fell from her green eyes and dripped onto the arms of her goddess. Shakith touched the tears gently and raised her wet fingers to her lips. Whatever she tasted in those tears transformed her perfectly sculptured face to a mask of livid and terrifying rage.

She slapped the child sharply across her face and dropped her to the ground. Irnai crumpled in both body and spirit, and wept as she hugged the legs of Shakith. "It is not my choice, Seer-Child. My half sister has asked me to use you on her behalf." She stabbed her staff against the ground. "If I was stronger than my brother, I assure you, you would not go through all this. I am but their servant, doomed to carry out their will until the end of the world." She leaned over and scooped Irnai up and dried the frightened child's tears. "I'm sorry, Irnai, I would not sacrifice you for the Tortallan King if I had my will. Unfortunately for the both of us, I do not have a choice." And with that, Shakith, the blind goddess of seers filled the young girl's mind with the knowledge that would make Irnai cry in her sleep for weeks.


	2. Chapter 1

"Irnai!"

"Wake up, it's all right."

"I'm sure it's just a dream!"

"Someone fetch Sir Neal right now! I think she's sick."

"Should we go get Lady Kel?"

"Calm down, Irnai!"

"She has a high fever and she's having difficulty breathing. Loesia, can you call Kel? I think she will be able to calm her down. Take deep breaths, Irnai, you'll make yourself sick."

"Irnai? What's the problem?"

"Why doesn't she answer, Sir Neal?"

"Is she going to die?"

"Shush now, all of you. It's morning now and you all have chores to do. We'll see to Irnai. Go on, Tobe."

Noise, just loud noise. Voices talked to her, but no sense came to her from these sharp and rough voices. It hurt her ears to hear them after the voice of her goddess, and she cried harder as they became more insistent. She couldn't see; it was much too dark after Shakith's preferred dream world of light. She was still blinded by beauty that Shakith herself could not see or imagine.

She heard a screeching soprano scream out the name of her goddess repeatedly, begging the goddess to free the poor soul from its overwhelming pain.

"Get Daine and Numair, I think they might be able to help."

More voices entered into the cacophonous symphony: a rough tenor and a coarse alto. The same jarring notes were repeated over and over again in different octaves and keys, but all sounded discord. "Irnai," they said. The word became more familiar to her as it was repeated, and the sweetness of Shakith's voice slowly dissipated from her memory. She began to understand that the word was still her name even when not spoken by her goddess.

"I must leave." Her soft voice shook slightly and the noise dropped to a small whispering buzz. Her tears washed away the brightness from her eyes and she slowly looked around the small darkened room. Five adults stood or sat around her cot and stared at her with concern or fear.

She knew them all, but not from her own encounters with three of the five. She knew Sir Neal well, he was the head healer of New Hope and he talked to her as if she was a child. The simple words and low expectations from him were a relief after so many looked to her for answers. His wife, the Yamani bride, sat next to Irnai's face, placing a damp cloth on her forehead. She remembered Sir Neal saying that Lady Yukimi and guests were coming to New Hope that morning. Like most seers, time was a hard concept for her, and though she knew that the guests were coming, the day and time was beyond her sight.

Lady Kel, the Protector of the Small, behaved like a mother towards Irnai the past year and a half. She cared for Irnai as if she was her own child, for Irnai had no parents at New Hope. She was gentle soul, and it warmed Irnai's heart to know that the woman would soon get married and have a wonderful family, even though Lady Kel did not know it yet.

"Lady Kel," she whispered, and coughed slightly. Her mouth was parched and the Lady Yukimi gave her some water. She smiled weakly at the female knight. Sir Neal came to sit on her other side and became examining her with his magic, a tickling sensation like feathers under her skin. Kel moved forward and touched the girl's hand, her concern for the child apparent in her face.

The Mage stood back and watched, and Irnai felt a little afraid of his extensive power. The fear was nothing compared to what she felt when she looked upon Weiryn's Daughter. She was powerful with her divine blood, even more powerful than the wildmage realized. Irnai sent a silent prayer to Shakith that she would never have to reveal the next step in the wildmage's magic. The protection of an animal god on the woman was enough to make the seer child clench her fists tight. Gods were so interfering, and children of gods were not exempt from their troubling and meddlesome ways.

She tried to get out of bed, but Sir Neal was there before she could remove the blankets. "Not so fast," he said. "You can't go anywhere for at least a day, demoiselle Irnai, you've been very ill." The man that she had always known as the Healer adjusted the large pile of blankets around her body and patted her foot.

"I have a message for the Man with Many Names," she protested as the Protector of the Small took Lady Yukimi's chair. "Please, I must go. It's very important."

"What message?" The tall and lanky man came forward to stand next to the bed. He studied her curiously and she watched him as her memory adjusted to a new avalanche of information. In the waking world, the prophecies came in painful increments, rushing to fill her mind with truth and futures. Her nose bled slightly.

"I cannot tell you, Mage, I must tell the Man with Many Names!" she said. She looked around the room swiftly for an ally. Only Lady Kel, but she seemed be in agreement with Sir Neal. "It's important," her voice begged the lady knight. "The Man with Many Names must know. It's a matter of life and death."

The adults did not quite know what to do after that statement. "Where is the Man with Many Names?" the pretty young daughter of a god walked forward. She looked like she wanted to help her. Her eagerness frightened Irnai.

"I – I don't know." Her face fell with the realization that she did not know. For once in her life, information had been kept from her. _Patience_, she heard a voice. _It will come in time._

"Irnai, are you sure it wasn't just a dream? Tell us what happened." Kel brushed Irnai's hair back from her face.

"I can't tell you. Weiryn's Daughter will be frightened," she whispered to Kel. The young woman looked startled and glanced at the Mage. "And the Mage will try to study me with his magic again. Shakith will kill him if he tries a second time."

"How did you…" The Mage broke off and looked stunned. The whole room shuddered visibly at her words, and all but Kel and Neal, who were sitting, took a step back. Kel touched Irnai's cheek and the girl flinched.

"You have a nasty bruise," she commented. "Where did you get it?" The others in the room took this change of subject to get used to Irnai's immense sight.

"Shakith," she whispered, with fear clear in her eyes.

"Do you have a problem with a god, Irnai?" the Daughter asked gently. "I might be able to help you."

Irnai shook her head roughly. "Shakith is a higher god. What can a mere mortal god-child do against her? No, I am hers. I have always been hers." She turned to Kel. "I've got to hurry. It will happen soon, I know it. Then the Man with Many Names will die and Tortall will fall. Please, I've got to go now!"

"Numair," Kel turned and said to the Mage. "Would you happen to know a Man with Many Names whose death would cause the fall of Tortall?"

"King Jonathan? King of Tortall, Voice of the Tribes? Those aren't many names, but perhaps he has acquired more than we know about."

_Tortallan King. _It sounded so familiar that Irnai knew that had to be the answer. "That's him, the Man with Many Names." She frowned. More knowledge flowed into her mind and tears came to her eyes. "We must go to… Port Legann."

"Corus, you mean?" Sir Neal corrected.

She stared at him. "No, he's at Port Legann," she said as if everyone knew that.

"She's right," Numair said softly. "No one's supposed to know that."

Irnai hated to frighten adults. She watched them as they shuffled uneasily like uncomfortable children in a meeting. She never understood the difference between herself and an adult, except for her size. Other children said adults knew everything, but why did it always seem like she knew more than they?

"You're going to rest for another day," Sir Neal finally decided. "One more day will not make a difference, especially when you were so near death a few hours ago. Rest, Irnai," he said, and patted her head.

"Will you stay with me, please, Lady Kel?" she was worried that Shakith would come back. Of the two females, she preferred Lady Kel as a mother figure.

"I've got work to do, Irnai," Kel said regretfully.

"I'll stay," Weiryn's Daughter said. Irnai felt her limbs stiffen like drying mud. She was never going to get any rest with a god-child in the same room. "I'm Daine," she introduced herself to the young girl. "We'll have Neal give you a dreamless sleep potion."

Irnai nodded and drank the sweet and heady liquid that Sir Neal gave her. Lady Daine was kind, but her presence gave Irnai no true rest.


	3. Chapter 2

Gainel stood with hands clasped behind him and head bowed. He arranged and ran through the dreams of the mortals below him, giving them the warped view of their daily lives, wishes and thoughts. A nightmare there, a running dream there, an erotic dream over there; dream after dream, floating and flowing through all those who slept deeply enough for his influence.

He heard his sister approaching slowly and lifted his head to watch Shakith. To him, she was beautiful and magnificent, wise and gentle. She knew the future better than all her divine siblings and she served them dutifully so that their plans for the mortals may be carried out. They lived in almost two different worlds, but despite that, he still loved her.

"Irnai?" she called out. Her voice was high and pure, lovely in its clarity. Her staff sunk in sand and she stopped. "Where are we, Gainel?"

"A beach, Shakith. With an ocean and sunlight, and a rainforest. Can you not hear the waves and the birds singing?" As the wordscame to his mindthe world around them formed completely and sound burst forth from nothingness.

She smiled, becoming a radiant picture of loveliness. "How you tease me. Those sounds were not there before." She walked swiftly across the sand toward the sound of his voice. "Where is Irnai?"

He touched her to let her know she reached him. His hand looked faded and translucent against her golden skin. "I could not bring her here; she was given a potion for dreamless sleep."

"Gainel, you're a god. A mere potion could not stop you." She frowned. "I saw that she would be here. What have you done, Gainel?"

"Shakith, we need to talk. I'm worried about you."

"Where is she? Bring her to me now, Gainel, we had an agreement. I expect you to uphold your end of the deal." She started to glow slightly like the moon shifted by clouds.

"This is not like you. Why are you so cross?" His dark eyes watched her face without expression, as always, but it made no difference to the blind Shakith. He sent his confusion through their mind connection. "You have always possessed a gentle nature," he added softly.

She slammed her staff deep into the sand. "Where is she? I need her!"

"Why don't you go down yourself and speak to her? You _can_ leave the Divine Realms," the Dream King pointed out. Shakith clenched her staff tightly. Gainel knew of her fear of leaving the Divine Realms. Her blindness made her vulnerable in the mortal realms.

"Don't be silly, I can see it all clearly now. Weiryn's Daughter is watching over her." She began to walk away from Gainel before she twisted around. "Did you plan this with her? This isn't supposed to happen, I –"

"I wish you would speak with me, sister," Gainel interrupted.

Her staff patted the area around her before she formed the sand into a chair. She looked resigned. "Let us talk then. What have you done?"

The Dream King followed suit and formed a chair out of the sand. "You forget that I see the future sometimes too, though briefly. I caught glimpses of trouble, Irnai and you. I will not help you any further unless you care to explain." Despite the potion, Gainel entered the seer child's mind and gave her some peaceful dreams so that her fitfulness would cease.

"You know why, brother. The Black God fears I will become more powerful than he. He has petitioned to Father Universe and Mother Flame. If they believe I have not been treating the child as I should, he will take her from me." Her milky white eyes sought out his figure as if she could really see him, but soon her eyes grew tired and she stared down unseeingly at her staff. Her hands ran up and down the smooth and carved wood of the staff as though seeing every cut and knot, and her head tilted to the left.

"This is the result of your own doing, you know," Gainel said. "If you hadn't cared for her so much, he wouldn't have noticed her." He tried to make his voice gentle but it did no good.

She turned her head sharply away from him. "I know that, but he still has no right to take her from me! She's mine. My one gift from Father and Mother, and now they allow her to be taken from me? Can you do something? You have more right to her than he does. He doesn't need a messenger."

"All gods need a messenger, Shakith. Why do you think she was given to you initially? As one of the higher gods you have fallen back in favor if the people," he reminded her softly.

"I know all that!"

"But you have wasted her Gift on Elementals. What possible power could you derive from Elementals?"

She fingered her staff nervously. "More power than you realize brother…" She shook her head. "I will not explain now. But hear this: Irnai is dearer to me than my own children. We have to protect her."

Gainel shook his head sadly. "You have interfered too much. You have lost her trust."

"I was earning respect," she spat.

"And so you have it, through fear. Are you so blinded by your sight that you cannot see your own situation?"

"It is a curse all seers have," she looked more remorseful than Gainel had ever seen her. "I cannot tell you how many seers have died because of it. Please Gainel, that is why we must protect the child. She truly is a Gift. My… without my guidance and her fear of me she would become foolish, fearing nothing and it would lead to her death. As it has for so many others."

"Is that why you frighten her, to make her cautious?" He asked with wonder in his voice.

"Yes. And there is nothing like a fear of a god to make a mortal learn caution. I have seen it." She shook her head and blinked her eyes rapidly. "You may have ruined everything." She blinked again. "I can't see for certain now." Her face filled with a desperate expression, one that did not reach her blind eyes. "Death is on the line, Gainel, and it might be Irnai's. Please we must do something, a dream urging self sacrifice."

"I will not interfere with direct dreams, but I shall try my best. If the Goddess or Black God discover me, Irnai's life may be forfeit. We both know where they stand on this issue." He stood to leave then disappeared without a goodbye. As he moved away from the dream world, he heard Shakith muttering to herself.

"There is still hope left. A two in three chance of survival. Death lies in each direction. The Black God will triumph at first, but Shakith will conquer all in the end."


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry about the long wait, but here is the continuation of my story. I hope to finish by next week since I am suddenly on a roll. Please enjoy, and thank you so much for your praise.**

A giant house the color of a passing man's hair, gray tinged with white streaks from the sun, sat upon the hill overlooking the great Port Legann. The journey lasted several days, and the Mage, Sir Neal, and Weiryn's Daughter accompanied Irnai to where the she knew the king was staying. They rode horses up the hill, but paused half way to give the horses a breath before the last steep climb.

The evening was starting, the sun rested upon the sea, his beautiful royal robes spread across the water and town as if giving his last impression and influence on the world before disappearing into darkness. His crown of golden light remained a little longer after the sun sank into the ocean, but soon darkness reigned. Tiny stars appeared after the final sunray faded, but it was not enough to light the path to the giant house. _If I could stop the sun in the sky,_ thought Irnai, but she did not complete her thought. Confusion over what to say to the Man with Many Names consumed her so strongly that she fell asleep and did not wake until they arrived.

"Irnai," the familiar and haunting voice whispered to her as she lay in the place between dreams. "Trust me, my child."

She left the child cold and shaking in the morning. "I must see the Man with Many Names!" she gasped. At the very least she could be free of one demon in the shape of a blind goddess.

She dressed quickly and moved blindly through the hallways, clutching the arm of her doll, Bionca, for comfort. She possessed no knowledge of where she was within the house, or where she could find the king. She paused between corridors in indecision, and held her doll closer as the chill of the cold stone floor crept up through her bare feet. The doll was her only real companion through the years of traveling to deliver prophecies. It was ragged and old and looked like it would not survive much longer from the way the child handled the doll, but to Irnai, the doll was the most beautiful object she would ever lay eyes on, with Sight or without.

"Irnai!" a voice echoed down the hallway. It reminded her of sound traveling through a cave, bouncing off walls and frightening the occupants within. "Irnai, where are running off to? We've been looking all over for you."

"Sir Neal!" she said, and the sight of him put a sincere smile to her lips. He was a good man. "I'm off to see the Man with Many Names."

"That's all and well, dear, but you're going the wrong way." He raised his eyebrows at her bare feet. "And what became of your shoes?" She shrugged and he moved closer to take her hand. "My dear, you'll freeze to death in that attire. Come on, let's go find your shoes and perhaps a coat."

Negotiations were made for a coat to wear in the drafty house, and soon Irnai was directed to a room with a large table and chairs surrounding it.

"Irnai," a man with a beard and blue eyes stood and addressed her as she came in. He was tall and proud and imperial, everything a king of his stature should be and more.

"The Man with Many Names," she whispered. She had seen him so many times in her dreams the last few days that she could recognize his countenance anywhere.

"That is what she calls you, Jon," the Mage informed the king. He also stood when Irnai arrived, and he smiled at the girl with familiarity. "Do you have any idea why? I could only come up with two names, the Tortallan King and the Voice of the Tribes."

"The Night One," he replied. "I am called the Night One by the Bazhir tribes because of my defeat of the Ysandir with Alanna." He glanced at the child curiously.

"I, I have a message for you. From the Great Mother Goddess. She wishes to see you receive this message, and to do what it says."

The king moved forward to take a seat next to the girl. He poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher and glasses left on the table by the servants. "Yes, I'm listening."

Overhead Gainel watched and Shakith listened to the meeting in cool silence and disapproval. For Gainel, it was of his sister's insistent interference in this performance; for Shakith, it was of Irnai's lack of control and wisdom to manipulate this prophecy on her behalf.

"Well, Man with Many Names, you… it's hard for me, but you know this already—" she mumbled something incoherent and Gainel felt sympathy for the child who was unwillingly placed in the difficult position of foretelling a man's death. Tears dripped down her pale cheeks and she wiped them away uselessly before more replaced them.

The concern was obvious in the King's eyes. "It's alright, Irnai, just tell me what you saw. Here, would you like something to drink first? Some water perhaps?" He sent a meaningful glance at Numair who hurriedly filled a glass with the pitcher and set it a little forcefully on the table in front of the child.

Irnai gulped painfully on the water but only managed to spill most of it on her dress. She stared at him with her wide green innocent eyes and whispered as seriously as she could. "You're going to die. You know how. But, but, there's a way out of it, to make your life longer, see, it's really simple just you have to find someone, anyone, and—"

"She is ruining everything, brother, I've got to repress her now before it's too late." Gainel watched Shakith remove her soul from her divine body to possess that of the frail mortal Irnai. The child shook violently like prey caught in the mouth of a vicious dog determined to see its death. The King stood up and tripped over his chair as he backed away. It was more violent than any other god taking over a mortal's body or of Shakith's prior experience, but the haste was what nearly killed the child.

The voice that came out of the small child's mouth once the quaking had ceased was both chillingly beautiful and painfully sweet.

"_Long sleep comes _

_And thou canst not escape it_

_Nor fight its grasp._

_Worship in blood and cowardice_

_For land and life,_

_Man thrice named._

_Prolong the life thus set to end_

_By the desert land,_

_Worship in the time-forgotten way_

_To keep your gods-given power a little longer,_

_Man thrice named**."**_

The child gave one violent shudder before collapsing in her chair.

Shakith returned next to Gainel in their place in the Realm of the Gods. "You missed an important guest," Gainel said simply.

"Did I indeed, brother?"

"Yes, a certain Black God. He is now well on his way to tell Mithros and the Goddess of your interference. You will lose Irnai at the very least."

Her bright red lips parted in surprise and she began to brighten with anger. The child she was listening to and following so carefully before was now left ignored by her. Gainel watched as Sir Neal tried to restore her still heartbeat. "Why did you not inform me of his appearance?"

"You seemed to be busy elsewhere. Good day, sister, there seems to be a meeting of the gods that I must attend that you were not invited to." He looked at her with pity before shifting into the chaos world and outside her presence. He did not miss her scream of outrage.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: It's been a very long time since I updated this story... but I recently remembered it and wanted to complete it. So enjoy the confusing chapter, everyone!**

The master of dreams sat at the table, slowly turning the wine glass in his hand. He determined the best way to solve this problem would be, as he feared, would be to interfere. Gainel sighed silently to himself to release tension. He did not mind helping the mortals out whenever he had the opportunity to do so, but his help was so often disregarded as 'merely dreams'. His ingenious and his unconventional ways to send messages to those sleeping were often shaken away from the mortal's mind upon waking. He frowned at his wine glass. How would he make such an unimaginative and skeptical mortal to take his godsend dreams seriously?

Alanna could not remember the last time she had such an odd dream.

She was up in a high, secure place, watching a scene through a window slit no bigger than her palm. Below, there was a large, open, nondescript space with all the gods gathered in a circle, the Great Mother Goddess and Mithros placed a little higher on a raised platform, seating in gilded thrones, signifying their superiority as head god and goddess over the other deities. Alanna recognized all of the gods through their descriptions and the statues she had seen in the past, but her eyes were immediately drawn to her patron Goddess , the only one she had met face-to-face. She was speaking, her voice low and deep, like a hundred wolves baying at the moon. She was so beautiful, even in her dream state Alanna almost felt pain.

"Look, they are discussing whether they should let Father Universe and Mother Flame get involved," a voice whispered from beside her.

Alanna's arm reached instinctively for her sword, but swiftly finding that her scabbard and her daggers were missing she put up her fists in a defensive position and spun around to face the voice.

"Attempting to fight me, sister?" Thom said sardonically. "Might be a little unfair since I'm already dead."

"Thom!" Alanna cried. She flung her arms around him and felt tears prickling at her eyes, but she didn't care. She hadn't had a proper dream about him in years, and she forgot how much she missed him.

He shushed her and pulled away, drawing her attention back to the gods below. "Pay attention," he told her quietly. "We've got to continue to protect the king. I'll try to help you understand what they're saying."

"But why? Jon's in danger?" Thom just shushed her and leaned forward greedily to hear the gods. Annoyed that her brother was ignoring her, Alanna felt tempted to threaten to duck in him a pond – she was sure to find one in this place, according to Daine and Numair there had been a lake so surely there was a pond as well – but her annoyance slowly dissipated as the gods' words reached her ears.

"I do not believe that this is a concern worthy of our great Father and Mother; we can contain it." Mithros' deep voice boomed, filling the seemingly endless area with sound like the inside of a cave.

"I disagree, she is not using the Seer Child like a normal mortal vessel," a surprisingly light voice issued from the Black God's mouth. Alanna was sure until this moment that no 

mortal before her had ever heard him speak. "Shakith should not possess such a strong mortal, it leaves the rest of us at a disadvantage. We should claim the child as our own."

"But we all have used the child in the past," snapped Mithros. "She is not only Shakith's, but we all use her to deliver our messages."

"Exactly, we're giving Shakith an incredible amount of power over us!" said the Great Mother. "She controls the child and the prophecies, and she can and has turned that power against us! Not to mention she has broken the basic laws of our universe –"

"We don't know that yet. Calm yourself, Sister."

"Very well then, we will not discuss my suspicions. What matters is that we must fix the damage that our dear sister has done with that prophecy," the Great Mother Goddess said firmly.

The Graveyard Hag cackled. "Oh no," she shook her finger at the Goddess in a way that was less than polite befitting her rank. "You're forgetting the ancient rules. Once a prophecy is given to a mortal, we cannot interpret it for them."

"That is not the same! Shakith has meddled…"

But the Black God was nodding his head in agreement with the Graveyard Hag. "That is why we should take this to Father and Mother. She has manipulated the task given to her, and she has forced the child into giving a prophecy that has a high possibility of being misconstrued."

"My country –" the Goddess tried to speak again, only to be cut off by the Graveyard Hag.

"You already tried to fix the situation, deary," she said with a slight cackle. "It's not our fault or problem that you used an unreliable method. You can't break the ancient rules now and interfere again." The Graveyard Hag looked horribly pleased at the Goddess' distress.

"Shakith is meddling with the prophecies, she cannot be trusted anymore," the Black God interrupted. "The Seer Child should be given to me as a result of Shakith's betrayal."

"Thom," Alanna whispered. "I have no idea what they are talking about. I thought you were helping me understand?"

"Oh yes," Thom said suddenly, looking up at her surprised. He had the look on his face that he thought it was all self-explanatory. Alanna felt a twinge of annoyance; dream Thom was no different than the real Thom had been. "King Jonathan received a prophecy. You need to contact the king about what you've heard here and help him determine what the prophecy states. You understand the basics of the conversation, don't you?"

"No, I don't!"

Thom shook his head slowly. He suddenly changed, no longer acting or even moving like himself. – _I thought to get you here sooner, Lione_ss –" the voice said her head. "— _But unfortunately, you cannot stay and listen any longer. I cannot tell you exactly what was discussed this night, but I can tell you this: the prophecy is true, but it cannot be trusted. Tell the Tortallan King to take his time._—"

And with that the dream was over. Alanna had never woken up feeling so confused.


End file.
